Colorado Eagles and ECHL fans enjoy the past at the Budweiser Events Center

Hall of Fame exhibits only add to All-Star festivities in Loveland

By Adam Dunivan Sports Writer

Posted:
01/22/2013 08:29:31 PM MST

Family members take a picture of Xzavyr Alps of Timnath, 10, back, and Alex Goeltl of Fort Collins, 10, as they stand by some of the NHL memorabilia Tuesday night during the 2013 ECHL All-Star Fan Fest at the Budweiser Events Center. The two boys play hockey and said they were so excited to see all of the memorabilia.
(Jenny Sparks)

Perhaps the most common phrase for anyone who encounters Lord Stanley's trophy is "remember when?"

Plenty of Colorado Eagles fans will have a "remember when" moment to share after Tuesday night at the Budweiser Events Center, prior to the Eagles hosting the ECHL All-Star Skills Competition. Fans from all over Colorado and elsewhere, were able to get up close and personal with the Stanley Cup, as well as some of the other coveted trophies of the National Hockey League as part of the Fan Fest.

"We got to see the Stanley Cup in Denver, but they didn't have some of those other trophies, the Conn Smythe, the Vezina, some of those other ones. So that is really cool," said Fort Collins resident Bob Sutton, who was there with his daughter, Alauna. "Just to be part of it all, it's such a good experience. Obviously we've never been to an NHL All-Star Game or skills competition, and so it's going to be a really cool thing that we've never gotten to see."

The Cup wasn't the only part of hockey history on display. The Hockey Hall of Fame, based in Toronto, sent several exhibits to Northern Colorado at the request of the Eagles, and it was a huge hit. Game-worn jerseys from Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Patrick Roy and others were in full force, as were sticks and pucks, helmets and gloves.

For the fans of the team, it was just another example of the Eagles raising the bar.

"It's just a fun experience, and I was looking forward to seeing all of the trophies and some of the jerseys, and just seeing the All-Star Game," Alauna Sutton said. "Probably my favorite (exhibit) was the 1980 Olympic stuff and jerseys."

Members of other fan bases joined Eagles fans Tuesday, too. Orlando Solar Bears season ticket holders Gerard Hazuka and his son, Tony, made a vacation out of the All-Star Game specifically because it was in Colorado -- a state neither had been to before.

"It's the first time we've ever been to an All-Star Game," Gerard said. "When we saw the advertisement, and we saw 'Colorado', never been to Colorado before, hear it's beautiful. That's the whole reason we did this, because it's here."